WHISPERS OF SORNVEIL
A PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION-ADVENTURE
ABOUT
Whispers of Sornveil is a level about loss and the descent into madness of Maera, a woman who no longer wants to be helped. Shaped by the trauma of her past, Maera now suffers from Cotard's syndrome. Her disorder makes her believe she is a dead woman walking through limbo, hunting the living that caused her sister's death.
Her distorted perception of the world shapes the level: architecture, nature and ruins distort and decay as she progresses, while shadows and light shape her path.
GOAL
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Design a dynamic layout to reflect the character's fractured mind;
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Create a holistic experience for the player;
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Build level logic from scratch using Blueprint scripting;
PROJECT BREAKDOWN
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Made with Unreal Engine 5
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Developed in 7 weeks
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Optimized for PC
TRAILER
PRODUCTION
BRAINSTORMING
During the initial brainstorming phase, I reserched different mental disorders and studied games like the Hellblade series to understand their approach and pacing. I wanted to find a mental condition that could be represented visually through "everyday" elements that were either distorted or placed where they didn’t belong.
GATHERING REFERENCES
From the very beginning, I envisioned the level as a descent down a mountain, symbolizing Maera’s conscious spiral into madness. I gathered references for landscapes and environments and organized them on Figma to get a clear idea of the project, its mood, and the style I wanted to convey.
WORLD BUILDING
Maera eventually reaches a village at the base of the mountain. I developed the worldbuilding for Sornveil, a village where magic is forbidden, and documented the story of Maera and her sister Caelia, who both possess shadow powers central to the narrative. I structured the story in clear bullet points, which made it easier to break it down into smaller pieces and create collectible lore scattered throughout the level for the player to discover.
Once I had a clear idea of the core elements, I focused on how to represent the mental disorder that would shape the entire level and its pacing:
Maera follows a glowing white figure throughout the level that represents her "good" side — her conscience, embodying emotions she tries to ignore like love and guilt. This figure leaves her memories to help her reconnect with herself.
Glitches distort her surroundings: living trees turn dead and block her path, or shadowy enemies appear. Once defeated, these figures are revealed to be the villagers trying to stop her, seen through her distorted perception.
Maera’s house is a place she imagines twice within the forest. She enters it but can’t reach her room, the place where her trauma began. She only manages to access it once she reaches the village and completes her descent.
PAPER DESIGN
I tried to organize my ideas and create a smooth flow through initial hand sketches. I work both on iPad and on paper, but I find that digital tools make it faster to jot down ideas and easy to keep everything in one place for reference whenever needed.
PACING
While working on the paper design, I planned the beats that define the level’s pacing: exploration, combat, flashbacks and cutscenes. I organized them to create a coherent flow and a gradual build-up that matched the emotional and narrative crescendo I wanted to achieve within the level.
BLUEPRINT SCRIPTING
I wanted the level to be entirely scripted by me, from the character’s movement to the events unfolding along Maera’s journey. The level is fully playable, featuring patrolling enemies and scripted events that reflect Maera's mind.
BLOCKOUT
Being my first time modeling a landscape, I learned to use the tool while shaping the mountain, dividing it into areas and assigning each one a sub-level (or more) to make scripting dynamic transitions easier.
For the village, since not all houses are explorable, I created modular buildings with different facades to speed up the process and assemble them as needed. Inspired by Novigrad from The Witcher 3, I designed the squares, markets, and even Maera’s house.
TESTING
Since testing is a fundamental part of game development, I repeatedly played through the level and conducted testing sessions with colleagues, gathering their feedback. I then iterated on the design and made several adjustments to improve the overall experience — for example, creating different height levels in the village to enhance verticality and make key objectives, such as Maera’s house, more visible from a distance.
OVERVIEW
1. THE PRISON
Maera stands before a trail of corpses leading back to the prison she has just escaped from. Her cell is covered in writings that already hint at her unstable mental state. The red tree serves as the main landmark of the level — the place Maera must reach. When she tries to follow the path toward the village, she finds it blocked and needs to find a new way.
2. THE WHITE FIGURE
With the main path blocked, Maera takes an unknown route — a symbolic reflection of her mind as she strays from the right path and follows her delusion. Maera glimpses a glowing white figure watching her from a distance and decides to follow it. The figure represents the good part of herself that has detached from her.
3. THE DEAD TREES
Maera follows the white figure but as she turns the corner, the lush woods fade into dead trees and crows whispering messages from her broken mind. After defeating several enemies, she finds a memory left by the figure — her and her sister Caelia as children, laughing and hiding in the woods to use their powers.
4. THE RUINS
Maera comes across ruins blocking her way. She tries to open the doors but when she turns around, the ruins have become her childhood home — the source of her trauma. She tries to reach her room, but the hallway stretches endlessly, and she’s suddenly transported back to the spot where she first saw the ruins — but they’re gone. Only a dead tree and a crow with a message remain.
5. THE WATERFALL
Maera continues through the forest, encountering glitches — trees wither and then return to life, and crows fly overhead. As she moves forward, the trees behind her die, as if she leaves death in her wake. She sees the white figure again, but trees block her path, reflecting the duality within her — she hasn’t yet destroyed the good part of herself.
6. THE BLOOD TRAIL
Maera fights enemies and spots her intact house in the distance, with a blood trail leading to the main door. She enters and tries to reach her room, but a cascade of blood pours from the door, filling the hallway and suffocating her. She is transported back to the starting point. The house is gone, replaced by a memory left by the white figure: Maera and Caelia broken by their parents’ abuse.
7. THE VISTA
Maera enters a cave, following crows that die as she approaches. Upon exiting, she finally sees the village and her house illuminated in the distance. As she moves forward, the door to her room appears and disappears. She then discovers another memory left by the white figure — this time, Maera telling Caelia that she wants to leave their home.
8. THE VILLAGE
Maera arrives at the village, now deserted except for a few enemies she must face. She reaches the square, where it begins to rain blood, standing in the place where her parents and sister were killed. Maera has always blamed the villagers for having her sister killed because of her powers and for imprisoning her. Along the way, she can read various collectibles that reveal this story until she finally reaches her house.
9. THE HOUSE
Maera enters her real house and reaches her room. This time, she is able to enter fully and finds pages from her diary, explaining that she had planned to escape and take Caelia with her, along with a map of the area. There is also a mirror — when Maera looks into it, she sees the white figure, symbolizing that they are the same person. She then destroys the house, and the village is thrown into chaos, with houses and trees flying around. Maera has now fully accepted who she is and is ready to face her destiny.
10. THE BOSS FIGHT
After the trees part to let her pass, Maera enters a cave that leads to the white figure waiting in the village catacombs. Along the way, she finally recalls the truth about her sister’s death — caused by her own powers — as well as the death of her parents. Maera confronts the good part of herself and destroys it. Afterwards, she finds herself at the base of the red tree, near her sister’s grave. She places a stone engraved with her own name beside it, as if marking her own resting place, and then leaves the village.
WHAT I LEARNED
Whispers of Sornveil was my first full personal level, developed entirely from start to finish. I’m proud of what I accomplished, both for the final outcome and for how much I grew during the process:
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I learned how crucial time management is. Even when working consistently, tasks often take twice as long as planned. This taught me to schedule my work more realistically and to stay flexible when things take unexpected turns;
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I discovered how challenging it can be to bring ideas from my mind into the engine. Although the final level turned out close to what I had envisioned, it required iterations and adjustments — a process I want to refine further in future projects;
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I significantly improved my technical and design skills. I scripted extensively and became more confident using the engine, especially tools like landscape and foliage, which were completely new to me at the start;
This project became a real launchpad for my personal development, and I’m eager to begin new ones — I already have plenty of ideas I’m excited to explore.